Yearning Heart
by Ethereal Whisper
Summary: Pieces of memory made this heart of mine grow fonder of you, yearning for the day you would return to my side.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing other than the sentiment found in this short story.

**Warning:** Shonen-ai.

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**慕情**

**Yearning Heart**

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会いたくて

I miss you

会いたくて 震える  
I miss you so much I'm shaking

君想うほど遠く感じて…

The more I think of you, the further away you feel…

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**[16.05 PM] – Narita Airport**

Nimble fingers flipped open light blue-cased phone, checking for any new message to no avail. His eyebrows knitted a frown onto his usually expressionless feature. Sky blue eyes scanned over today's arrival schedule. He had been staring holes at a line on the bottom half of the big board for a certain flight which should have been here around this time.

**From:** Boston

**Flight:** Japan Airlines

**Flight no.:** JL008

**Remarks:** Delayed

It had been two years since he last saw that person.

Someone irreplaceable in his life.

They texted each other on daily basis. Even if it were only to say "_Good morning_" and "_Good night_", an immeasurable giddiness would always bubble inside him whenever he sent his message. He would be disappointed when that person did not reply.

Always, anxiously waiting for a reply.

Yearning for his voice.

And when he received a call from him, after the initial "_Hello_" from the other side, he would stay silent, wishing he could stop the ticking seconds.

Because that was the only moment he could really feel his presence.

His sharp intake of breath as if he were leashing himself to prevent his sentimental side took over his sanity, his occasional "_How are you?_" when he missed hearing monotone voice, and his "_I will call you again_" would always carve a hollowness in the pit of his stomach.

And soon after the infamous "_Click_" ending the call, he would find himself missing him even more than before.

He wanted to see him.

When he got off work, he would find himself occupying the table at a certain café where both of them used to have their mini dates. The secluded spot away from peering eyes granted them privacy to bask in each other's presence, to let themselves drown in each other's intense gaze. When the café was barren of customers, they would steal a kiss from each other in silence.

But as he frequented the site, those moments seemed to drift further.

Every night when he was alone in his dark room, he would recall the days that person spent there.

His silhouette roaming the room…

His tendency to lounge on the bed until deep slumber enticed him…

His habit to wake him up with a soft caress…

His reverberating voice saying "_Good morning, Tetsuya_"…

And his reply to that person, "_Good morning, Sei_"…

Waking up to find his bed devoid of his presence was suffocating.

He missed him.

A year passed but his yearning never diminished. That person's calls frequency started to drop significantly as he entered his final year for his Master degree. Sometimes, when loneliness triumphed over his rationality, he would ask himself whether that person still remembered him.

It was a foolish question.

That person promised he would return.

"_Definitely. Therefore, until then…_"

Words trailed off because he had sealed that person's cold lips with his chapped ones.

The salty taste of his tears was vivid as ever, haunting him with that day's memory of that person's departure. He had gripped that person's dark brown jacket tightly when realization dawned on him that he would soon lose his touch.

His warmth…

His kisses…

The words "_Don't go…_" were selfish.

He could not bring himself to hold that person's down for his own sake. For that person, going to Harvard was never his desire. It had been an order from his father if they were to earn his father's consent. It was a tough challenge for them both but that person never once wavered in his choice to protect their relationship.

"_I will be waiting…_"

He told that person with a small smile.

It was brief.

But he saw a rotund tear slid down that person's cheek before he found himself in his arms. Rasped breaths sent chills down his spine, weakening his knees.

But he had to stand strong.

He refused to give up their only chance that person was fighting for.

"_I will be waiting…_"

He repeated more to himself than to send his point across.

"_I will come back for you._"

That person replied with another kiss to his lips.

When his warmth was ripped from him, he did his best to suppress a shiver. Everything was a blur after that. That person's voice saying goodbye with a melancholy "_Take care_" received no coherent answer from him. By the time that person's broad back disappeared into throngs of passengers, he could not restrain another stream of tears from flowing down his flushed cheeks.

He had never felt so hopeless in his life.

That was why…

When that person informed him he would be back, he thought his first reaction would have been a smile at his message.

But he was wrong.

He stared at his phone screen for a long while, lost count of minutes. A clear drop landed on the screen, obscuring his view.

He had cried.

A mixture of yearning, two year long loneliness and a tinge of happiness overflowed from within.

It was strange.

He tried to stop the tears but they just would not stop at his whim. It was as if a dam had broken loose, no brakes strong enough to hold waves of currents. In the midst of his turbulence, he had called that person. As usual, he was never the first to say "_Hello_".

"_Tetsuya?_"

That person's concerned voice struck something within him.

"_Sei…_"

He called that person's name, a form of endearment between them.

"_Sei… I…_"

He did not know what he wanted to say. Too many things he wanted to tell him, too much pent up emotion he wanted to let him know, the never said "_Take care, too_" from back then, this frustration, this depravation of his touch, and the happiness that their struggle was finally over.

That person understood him well.

"_I miss you._"

There was an unmasked longing in that person's voice.

"_I almost lost it whenever you called me. Did you know that?_"

He shook his head as if that person could see him.

"_I booked myself tickets to Japan several times because I wanted to see you._"

His breath hitched at the honest confession.

"…_But I couldn't forsake everything just because of my selfishness._"

That person drew a sharp breath, his voice turned hoarse.

"_As I promised… Now that it's over, I could finally return to your side._"

Not trusting himself to utter a response, he had nodded mutely. Neither was willing to end the call. The silent night slowly lulled him to sleep, remaining tears trailing down his cheeks. When he woke up the next day, his phone was still clutched in his hold. The latest call duration lasted more than two hours despite his sleeping state. That person had let their connection intact even after he fell asleep…

**[16.30 PM] – Narita Airport**

He kept on searching for a sign of his arrival. When he spotted a mop of striking red hair amongst the arriving crowds, his crystal blue eyes widened at the sight. Dressed in black trench coat over a grey shirt with a red tie tucked under its collars, coupled with equally dark pants and polished shoes, Akashi Seijuro walked towards him.

His heterochromatic eyes were still as mesmerizing as ever, prying deep into his soul.

"Tetsuya," he called out with a serene smile.

His voice was different from the one he heard through the phone. It was much deeper with intensified intoxicating allure. He had also grown taller during his stay at America, having more than ten centimeters on him.

The light blue-haired male inched closer, "Sei…"

The redhead reached out, pulling the shorter male flushed against him. A distinctive vanilla scent hit him hard as he buried his face in the crook of the blunette's neck. He could feel tentative fingers found their ways to his back, eventually gripping tightly onto his trench coat. Slowly, his own fingers gently ran through tresses of blue locks while his other arm wrapped around slender hips.

"I'm home, Tetsuya."

He was surprised when the blunette retracted a bit then shifted his hold to his coat's lapels and pulled him down for a chaste kiss. Neither of them cared about pairs of eyes shooting looks at them.

"Welcome home, Sei."

They were done tolerating and enduring.

For once, they would be selfish and tread to their future.

This time, together.

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**Author's OTL Note:** I just had to transfer my emotional outburst into something after I read Chapter 205. There was gentle Akashi… then a crying Kuroko… I simply couldn't resist this urge to write something about them…


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